Wednesday, November 30, 2005

In the Christmas Spirit!!

And yes, I said Christmas....not Holiday Spirit, or Season's Spirit....CHRISTMAS spirit! I'm really enjoying it more this year than I have in the past few, for whatever reason.

One reason is that I'm really enjoying a particular gift I'm giving this year. My Mom and Dad live in a small condo, and she wanted her *one* flower bed redone. This is right up my alley! I just had to recruit a couple of siblings to pitch in on the cost, and I get to plan it, sketch it out, and get my hands dirty! It's been so fun...first seeing what types of flowers she enjoys (roses & lilies), then choosing the varieties so she has lots of colors and something blooming from early spring to late fall. Then sketching it out to see how it will look and where everything will be planted. We've already removed all the old plants, installed a new border, added garden soil, planted the 2 anchor plants - antique roses, and added the soaker hose and of course the garden flag. All we have left is to receive and plant the lilies, cover with mulch, and arrange some lava rocks for downspout coverage. So fun!! The "giving" of the gift is lasting the whole month long, so it's really a blast.

My children are at the prime ages this year, too. Big J woke up this morning and sleepily asked "is Santa coming tonight?" Hilarious! They are SO into everything. Decorating the tree, making ornaments, reading Christmas books....you name it, they're enthused about it! Sure does make everything more exciting. I've even downloaded Christmas ringtones for my phone that they helped me choose!

Happy December 1st, and remember to enjoy the next 24 days because it will all be over way too soon!